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Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville by train

January 10, 2018 By James Clark 15 Comments

Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville by train

The railway line from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville was reopened for passenger services in 2016 after 14 years of being out of action.

I’ve been to Phnom Penh numerous times and I have always admired the old train station, hoping that one day that train services would resume. If you want to ride the only railway in Cambodia (as of 2018) then here is what to expect.

Phnom Penh Royal Railway Station
[Phnom Penh Royal Railway Station.]

Phnom Penh – Sihanoukville timetable

I’ve been wanting to do this trip since the line reopened but I had never timed my travels right. The train only runs on the weekend, starting with a Friday afternoon service from Phnom Penh, and finishing with a Monday morning service from Sihanoukville.

The train takes 7 hours so I wasn’t keen on getting the 15.00 Friday service. Instead I got the 7.00 service from Phnom Penh. There is a 7.00 and 16.00 service on Saturday and Sunday from both directions

Timetable

From what I have read it is a popular service so I don’t know why it isn’t daily. There are freight trains running during the week but that isn’t a problem in other countries operating a single line railway.

How to buy tickets

I originally made a booking on the Royal Railway website, under “Passenger service > E-booking”. I inputed my details on this form but I never got an email confirmation. It didn’t take any payment details either, so I wasn’t confident my booking was made.

Royal Railway online booking

Fortunately I was in Phnom Penh a few days before my planned travel day. I went to the ticket office on Thursday morning and they said that the train was already sold out. I said that I made a booking online though never got a confirmation. They went away and then came back with a ticket for me. I didn’t give them my name so I have no idea how that worked.

The weekend I was travelling was the New Years weekend, so it might have been busier than usual. Either way I would not risk just showing up and expecting a ticket on the day.

Tickets

If you don’t have the luxury of being in Phnom Penh first I would book online with Baolau to guarantee a seat via a more user-friendly booking service.

Train ticket

Departing Phnom Penh

Station Hall

I got the 7.00 service so I arrived earlier to get coffee. There is a good coffee stand in the station, and also a Tous Les Jours Bakery at the service station opposite the station. I stayed at Hotel Zing, which is a good budget hotel about 5 minutes walk from the station.

Station platform

The passenger train also carries cars and motorbikes if you can’t be bothered driving to Sihanoukville.

Car freight

Inside the carriages

The carriages were renovated in conjunction with the relaunch of the service. The seats are bench-style with two benches facing each other.

Bench seats

It’s a bit tight for my liking, and awkward to have to look at other passengers the whole way. At least I had a good group of seatmates who spoke English and chatted.

Passengers

I wandered along the carriages and saw that other carriages were set up in a metro commuter style. I’m glad they didn’t sell me one of the standing room only seats.

Long bench seats

And most importantly I checked the toilet to find a clean western-style toilet.

Toilet

The train felt like being in a big floating lounge room with cushy seats, carpet floor, curtains, and framed pictures. The air conditioning is also household air conditioning units, and crucially it was set at a comfortable temperature. Trains and buses in Southeast Asia usually have airconditioning set to freezing, so this was a comfortable ride.

Framed picture

There is a kitchen at the end of the train serving drinks and instant noodles.

Kitchen

And the view outside is pretty good too.

Lotus pond
[Room with a view.]

Stop at Takao

After 2 hours the train arrived at Takao, and there it stopped for a 10 minute break.

Break at Takao
[Takao Station.]

Everyone gets out for a food and drink before continuing the journey.

Meat-on-a-stick
[Stock up on your meat-on-a-stick snack requirements here.]

Stop at Kampot

The next stop is at Kampot, where there was another convenience break. If you haven’t been to Kampot you should definitely add that to your Cambodia travel plans. It’s too bad that there isn’t a regular service for this route.

Stop at Kampot
[Kampot Station.]

I got out for an iced coffee.

Coffee lady
[Kampot coffee lady.]

Arriving at Sihanoukville

The golden beaches of Sihanoukville finally come into view.

Beaches of Sihanoukville
[Beaches of Sihanoukville through the window.]

After a long day on the train we arrive at Sihanoukville Station.

Sihanoukville Station
[Sihanoukville Station.]

Total travel time

The scheduled travel time is a whopping 7 hours. By comparison you can get to Sihanoukville by van in about 4-5 hours. The Southern Line from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville City is 264 km, so the average speed is about 38km/h.

This trip took 7.5 hours:

Depart Phnom Penh 7.03
Arrive Takao 10.08
Depart Takao 10.18
Arrive Kampot 12.17
Depart Kampot 12.30
Arrive Sihanoukville 14.42

The train stopped a few times in the middle of nowhere, which added the half an hour to the scheduled travel time.

Bemused cow
[A bemused cow wondering why we had stopped where we did. I was wondering that too.]

I haven’t found a good explanation why the train is so slow. The track is completely refurbished so it is comparable with the 1-metre gauge tracks of Thailand.

Even though it’s much slower than the van or bus, it was a far more enjoyable journey. If you are on holiday and not in a hurry then this should be the preferred way to travel.

Bucolic views
[Delightful Southern Cambodia.]

I hope that they can sort out the train speeds in the future as this should be a daily service that is covered in 3 hours.

A review of the service when it reopened said the train took 6½ hours, with a reduction of two hours expected. At least it beats the days when the train needed armed guards in the 1990’s.

There are now plans to build a faster railway. Read more about future Cambodian railways.

Book your Phnom-Penh – Sihanoukville train tickets here.

Read more about the railways of Southeast Asia and world train travel.

Filed Under: Train Travel Tagged With: cambodia, phnom penh, railway, sihanoukville, southeast asia rail, train, train station

About James Clark

James Clark is the founder of Nomadic Notes. He has been a digital nomad since 2003, and Nomadic Notes features trip reports, train travel articles, and where to stay guides. He writes about transport and urban development at Future Southeast Asia. Subscribe to the weekly travel newsletter.

Comments

  1. Kiwisflythecoop says

    January 16, 2018 at 12:00 am

    Great write up. Might give it a go as in Phnom Penh in a couple of weeks.

    Reply
  2. Derek Harris says

    January 16, 2018 at 5:10 am

    We did it last year 2017. Only 5.5 hrs. Think it all depends on how long it stops for.

    Reply
  3. ChristianPFC says

    January 18, 2018 at 3:22 am

    Great report! When I go to Cambodia again, I absolutely want to ride the train, even though all times are inconvenient (too early or too late, 10-17 would suit me best).

    Reply
  4. Derek Harris says

    February 2, 2018 at 12:01 am

    About to do it again tomorrow

    Reply
  5. guy says

    February 17, 2018 at 2:57 am

    was so excited to read this post, then i found out it takes longer than the vans and buses, bummer

    Reply
  6. AngkorSovannNaga says

    February 22, 2018 at 6:49 pm

    Not “Takao”, but “Takeo”; it is the province east of Kampot, with each of its 9 districts and capital city having distinct and gorgeous scenery, and Angkor Borei possibly being the capital of the Funan Kingdom.

    Reply
  7. Derek Harris says

    February 23, 2018 at 1:00 am

    Yes did it on 3Feb 2018 from Kampot 5hrs but a great trip again. Very safe and enjoyable. Will carry on using it whenever I can. Cheers.

    Reply
  8. Yang Yan-zhong says

    April 16, 2018 at 9:06 am

    Your information is in time and very helpful to me. Cause I am planing to fly Phnom Phen from Mandalay, and move to Sihanoukville. For me, travel by train is always my first choice.

    Thanks

    Reply
  9. Reka says

    July 1, 2018 at 10:35 am

    I am planning my trip to Cambodia and thinking to take a ride. Thank you for the information, it’s very helpful.

    Reply
  10. Elisabeth Neyenhuizen says

    October 24, 2018 at 9:16 am

    Thanks to your experience and advise I was able to book my train tickets to Kampot. I had originally booked through Easybook. What a waste of my time. ( now waiting for a refund from them). Excellent blog

    Reply
  11. Micara K. says

    December 7, 2018 at 5:30 am

    Good Afternoon!
    Anyone know if dogs are allowed in the passenger cabin from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville?
    Thank you!

    Reply
    • James Clark says

      December 7, 2018 at 5:43 am

      I don’t know, but you could ask at https://www.facebook.com/groups/TrainCambodia.RR/

      Reply
  12. jakee harrison says

    December 25, 2018 at 7:11 am

    Hi! Very helpful blog. We took the train on Sunday from PP to Sihanouk. and there was no drinks/noodles car. Also it was pretty overbooked so better to arrive early to get a good seat. There were only 2 carriages and PP train station looks like a building site presently to the point that I thought we were in the wrong place. Also no coffee stand at the station but possible from the bakery mentioned. Due to delays on the line etc. we arrived at 3.45pm instead of 2pm. Felt a bit tedious towards the end but still better than the bus I’m sure!

    Reply
    • James Clark says

      December 26, 2018 at 1:09 am

      Thanks for the update, sounds like it has gotten worse!

      Reply
  13. KS says

    February 15, 2019 at 3:17 am

    excellent piece of information, which include where I can stay at a budget in Phnom Penh!

    am planning to go the other way round, i.e. from Sihanoukville to Phnom Penh

    Reply

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Hi, I’m James Clark, and I've been travelling the world since 2003 while running a location independent travel business. Nomadic Notes is a travel blog featuring travel guides and notes from my travels.

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